Uitvlugt Kill Devil 1999

Hunter Laing released this 1999 Uitvlugt under its Kill Devil label, a Scottish whisky house single cask bottled at 46% and non-chill-filtered in the natural style. Uitvlugt ran a Savalle column that produced a refined, fruity, lightly spiced Demerara, and continental ageing has given this 16 Year Old a dry, earthy character that nods toward whisky.

The nose is earthy and dry with tobacco, hay and a clear whisky-like note, and the palate follows that lead, earthy and dry with anise and a malty edge over light wood. The finish is short and toasted. There is dried fruit, faint cherry, light coconut and a touch of nuttiness woven through the nose for those who look. This is a leaner, more austere reading of Uitvlugt than the fruitier bottlings, its whisky-cask house style and cooler ageing pulling it toward dry grass and earth. A characterful single cask for drinkers who enjoy the crossover between aged Demerara and Scotch.